CHAPTER 652: CHAPTER 651: DIFFERENT ICEBERGS

The arena buzzed with whispers.

Li Han and Lan Chuhai paused, the flames under their five iron pots nearly extinguished.

Tang Shan and Tang Yuqiong, at their cooking stations, put down various kitchen tools. It was clear their culinary creations didn’t require complex finishing touches; the huge iceberg on the table was the ultimate form of their dish.

No need for plating, no need for fancy garnishes; the iceberg stood tall on a clear tray.

"Ding! Ding!"

Tang Yuqiong clenched her fist around a silver bell located on the table and gave it a tap.

Just then, as the bell sound faded, Kogawa Shinyiro, who had been standing beside the gong, waiting for the last second of the cooking segment to pass, swung his mallet forcefully, striking the gong—"Bang!"

"Time is up!"

"Please, all three competing teams, stop all cooking activities immediately! Present your culinary creations!"

He solemnly announced.

At that moment, Xia Yu and Zhu Qing were taking down the steamers.

The camera panned away, timely switching to the judges’ panel, where all five judges stood up. The finals were not fixed at the judge’s table; tables one to three were the display platforms for the three teams’ dishes.

"Wow wow wow wow!"

The audience screamed, clearly excited by the upcoming critique session.

"Now, please welcome our three special guest judges!" the female host announced, increasing the volume of cheering in the arena.

Tiqie Xianzuowen, dressed in a kimono and overcoat, led the Dragon Giant’s viewing team, standing and stepping into the arena.

Yan Qi and Karl, one in black and the other in white, were like the black and white guardians at the Demon King’s side.

These three guests only had the rights to taste and critique, not to vote.

Since table three was the first to ring the bell, judges, guests, and the host all gathered there, with Kogawa Shinyiro being the last to arrive.

At least several cameras above the arena were focused.

On the ground, countless lenses were locked in.

"How should we eat this?"

Tiqie Xianzuowen asked in a deep voice.

In front of him stood a separate chef’s table, entirely occupied by the Five-fingered Ice Mountain, indicating a generous portion of the dish.

What was breathtaking was not the quantity but the glittering light inside the iceberg and...

Silver fish, algae, and shrimp-crabs swimming in the light.

The sense of water movement made the seafood inside the mountain seem lively. At first glance, the audience thought the seafood was alive, but on closer inspection, they realized the shrimp and crabs were thoroughly red—a characteristic color of being cooked.

As for the underwater algae inside the iceberg, there were kelp and nori.

Despite the rich scenery inside the mountain, judges and guests standing in front of the table could only smell the cold, no scent leaked out.

"Fresh"... locked entirely inside!

"Right, how should we eat this!"

Hearing the Far Moon Commander ask, the audience booed.

Anyone seeing a giant ice sculpture on a table without plates or cutlery would find it as hard to approach as a stone.

"Could it be that we need to crack it open?"

The red-haired judge lifted his hood to rest on his chin.

"Crack it open?"

The other four judges’ eyes lit up.

"Is that it?"

Karl Sage couldn’t help but ask, admiring Tang Shan and Tang Yuqiong’s pair: "Apart from other aspects, your ice sculpture dish scores full marks on visual art!"

This Western cuisine expert from Dragon Giant clearly valued the appearance of dishes, which corresponds to the concepts of ’color’ and ’shape’ in Eastern cuisine.

"You can crack it open to eat," Tang Yuqiong playfully responded, "But that’s just one basic way to eat it. Feel free to use your imagination."

"However you want to eat it, go ahead!"

Hearing this, the judges and guests were startled.

"Interesting!"

The red-haired judge turned to grab a small bowl and utensils for himself, then looked at the ice block standing before him, pressed his palms together, and said, "Although I’m sorry for destroying the art piece, I must eat!"

Hiss!

With one stab of the fork, without needing any extra ice-breaking tools, chunks of ice fell into the bowl. The red-haired judge then picked up a piece of ice with his chopsticks, casually threw it into his mouth, and crunched away. The sound emanated as if he were chewing on beans, and one could only say he had really strong teeth.

"Huh!"

Seeing the red-haired judge, chewing ice chunks one by one and eating joyously with a look of pleasure on his face, the atmosphere in the venue suddenly shifted.

"Eating ice?"

The other judges and guests followed suit.

"Heh!"

Chief Judge Nuliang swallowed the ice, chewed the ice chunks, and as the granules melted into liquid in his mouth, a burst of exquisite freshness filled his mouth and nose. He was moved and said, "This ice... is ’soup’!"

"That’s right, it’s frozen seafood soup!"

Yan Qi murmured, swallowing another piece. The refreshing mouthfeel combined with the natural umami carried him on an unforgettable journey to the icy deep seas, encountering schools of fish and seaweed.

Wise Man Karl’s face revealed a satisfied smile.

"Worthy of a final round dish!"

He slowly said, "The broth is frozen for at least one to two days, and the ’freshness’ does not diminish. Our IGO research institute has also conducted many experiments proving that freezing is one of the effective methods to store broth without worrying about nutrient loss."

Facing the camera, Wise Man Karl spoke like a preacher earnestly saying:

"In many regional cuisines, soup plays a soulful role; a meal is incomplete without it. But in today’s fast-paced urban life, making homemade broth is quite time-consuming. Yet, how can everyone enjoy homemade broth with each meal at home?"

"The dish on Table 3 is a vibrant example. People can utilize holidays to brew broths—whether it’s chicken, beef, vegetable, or others—and then freeze it. Of course, having molds similar to ice cube trays for storage is best; you can defrost the needed amount each time..."

A mix of a doctor’s and chef’s demeanor in Karl’s words conveyed a sense of warmth.

"But, the theme for this final is ’meeting and guiding,’ right?"

The red-haired judge put down his bowl.

Tiqie Xianzuowen also nodded, "The frozen soup has a small surprise, but it’s not enough. Let’s get to the point!"

"As you wish!"

Tang Yuqiong smiled gently as she and Tang Shan each took a bowl of water.

The water, steaming vigorously, was definitely very hot.

Whoosh—

The hot water was poured over the Five-fingered Ice Mountain, and with a sizzling sound, smoke rose more than a yard high.

"It’s melted!"

"Water is accumulating under the plate! Wait, the ’fresh’ flavor is so rich!"

The judges were astonished.

Tang Yuqiong, holding a spoon, scooped out half a bowl of the melted soup from the plate’s bottom and, with her chopsticks, quickly fished out a small, delicate silver-white fish from the rapidly melting ice, pairing it with seaweed and kelp. Thus, a delicious thick seafood soup appeared.

She handed the first bowl to Tiqie Xianzuowen, then turned to serve the second and third bowls...

"These are just ordinary ingredients!"

Said the Far Moon Commander, sniffing the rich aroma before taking a sip of soup.

The mix of cold and warm in the seafood soup made his facial muscles twitch.

"The fish?"

With his chopsticks, he picked up another fish, this one preserved just like it was freshly caught without any signs of frying. Tiqie Xianzuowen took a bite, and pfft!

"There’s sauce hidden deep inside the fish body... it’s well concealed!" He was surprised.

He chewed the fish again.

The thick sauce blended with the soup and the flesh.

Boom!

Tiqie Xianzuowen’s whole body shook as if he saw an island of ice breaking apart.

The dormant ice volcano was erupting, lava making fish, algae, and seawater steam into a thick, fresh soup. Suddenly, his eyes widened, seeing the life force from deep ancient glaciers, frozen for ten thousand years, merging into the soup.

"So, that’s it!"

His mind suddenly cleared.

Tiqie Xianzuowen gradually came back to his senses, his upper body’s clothes had quietly slipped off.

"So this is how you embody the theme of ’meeting and guiding’!"